The Fairy Grandfather
by 554Laura
Summary: How did Temperance Brennan go from foster child to a student at Northwestern? She had some help. Nothing really serious, a small amount of angst, a lot of my imagination, and I still don't own Bones.
1. Chapter 1 The New School

Booth stood in the doorway of Brennan's office. "Hiya, Bones. Ready for lunch? Hey, what's wrong…."

Brennan wiped tears off her cheek. "Nothing's wrong, Booth. Yes, I'm ready for lunch. Can we go to that new Ethiopian place? I'm not really in the mood for the diner today."

"Only if you tell me what's bothering you." He stood in front of her desk, frowning slightly. "You know I can always tell if something's wrong. Besides, you're crying...you hardly ever cry."

"I know. I don't want to talk about it right now. I need to process some information I received first. I'll tell you about it soon." She sniffled a bit and gave her husband a faint smile. "Can we go? I'll need to get back at a reasonable time to complete some work this afternoon."

"So you promise you'll tell me, right? It's not good for you to keep things bottled up like that."

"Yes, I promise." Brennan picked up her purse and linked her arm through Booth's. "I'll tell you tonight.

oooooooooo

Brennan knew she often kept her emotions "bottled up" as Booth had put it. Even after all these years of loving him and trusting him, she still found herself falling into some of the communication habits she had learned while she was in foster care. One of the most important rules was to keep things to oneself. Don't say too much, and be careful who you share your true feelings with. Over the years she had grown emotionally, and she knew she could tell Booth anything, but occasionally a situation would arise that she normally wouldn't discuss. This was one such situation, but she decided that Booth needed to know the story. It was an important part of who she was.

It was the quiet part of their evening...the time for just the two of them. The kitchen had been cleaned up after dinner. They'd played games with the kids before reading them stories and getting them ready for bed. Now was the time they reconnected emotionally. With the stress of their jobs, Booth and Brennan both realized they had to be deliberate in making time for each other.

"So…" Booth brought Brennan a glass of wine and sat next to her on the sofa. "Do you feel like talking about what upset you today? If not, we can talk about it some other time."

Brennan sighed as she looked at her wine glass. "I had just received some very bad news when you arrived in my office, and I was trying to process it."

"Okay…." Booth waited for more details.

"I received an email." Her voice faltered a bit. "About someone I knew when I was young. He died."

"Oh, Bones….I'm so sorry." Booth put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "Was it a friend, or a colleague?" Booth was trying to figure out who it could possibly be. Bones hadn't mentioned a lot of people from her past….except for Michael Stires. "It wasn't Stires, was it? Or that guy Pete?"

"No...no one like that." Brennan turned to face him. "Do you remember when we first started working together? We had that case with the boys in foster care?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah...you got that little guy to talk to you because you knew what it was like to be him…."

"And you asked me about being in foster care, remember?"

"Yeah….I guess at that time it really wasn't any of my business, but you were so passionate about those boys being together and going back to that foster mom, and it made me curious." He chuckled a little bit. "Plus, I thought you were really hot, and I wanted to talk to you. I needed an excuse."

Brennan smiled. "Weren't you dating Tessa at that time?"

"Well, I was just covering all my bases…"

Rolling her eyes, Brennan continued. "I told you my grandfather got me out of the system."

"And I thought that was weird at the time, since I'd read your file and you didn't seem to have any relatives." Booth thought a few seconds. "Was it your grandfather who died?"

"He wasn't really my grandfather...just someone who cared about me."

ooooooooooo

 _Approximately twenty years in the past….._

"Temperance, come in. Please sit down." Matthew Hollister looked at the slight, pale young woman in front of him and cringed inside. How was it possible that anybody could treat this girl with such indifference? Her clothes were shabby and her shoes were almost worn out. At least she was clean…. "How are you?"

"Fine." Temperance looked at her guidance counselor with cool disdain. Just another do-gooder trying to get the gold star for helping a foster kid, she thought. They never learn...

"I looked over your transcripts from your last school, Temperance. Your grades are quite impressive, even in your pre AP classes."

"Thank you." Temperance remembered the rule: keep things to yourself. She avoided eye contact with the man across the desk from her.

Mr. Hollister watched Temperance closely. He knew the effects foster care could have on children. Some kids were lucky and got placed with people who cared. Other kids were not so fortunate…He wondered what category she was in.

He cleared his throat. "So I'm aware that you're here at our school now because of your new foster care placement. How are you adjusting to the change?"

Temperance looked at her hands. "Fine." She felt the man's eyes on her, but she wasn't uncomfortable….not like other times with other men. This one was just curious.

"I see." Mr. Hollister decided to try a different tactic. "What was your favorite subject at your last school?"

"Biochemistry." She wore an expression of studied indifference.

"I don't see that on your transcript….." He looked through her file...the previous high school hadn't offered that class…

"I know. I checked out books at the public library and taught a lot of it to myself. My chemistry teacher lent me her textbooks, and she gave me some extra work to do...but the school wouldn't give me a graduation credit for it. So I got an A+ in regular chemistry."

Mr. Hollister was amazed. "What else have you studied on your own?"

"Latin."

"Latin...your school didn't…"

"I know. I want to be a scientist. I need Latin. So I went to the library again."

"Anything else?" She could've said advanced thermodynamics or quantum mechanics, and he would've believed her.

"No. There wasn't time. I had to study for my other classes, and I could only go to the library four days a week."

"I understand." He nodded as he closed the file. "You're probably wondering why I asked to see you."

"No. It seems to be normal for counselors to talk to new students who are foster children."

"How many foster homes have you been in, Temperance?"

She eyed him cautiously. Mr. Hollister was probably in his fifties, short, a bit on the heavy side, and balding. He reminded her of the Winnie the Pooh cartoons she'd watched a long time ago. He didn't seem threatening, but it was better to be safe. "I don't remember."

"Okay. We'll talk about that some other time. What I wanted to talk to you about was the SAT exam. You'll need to take it to get into college...either that or the ACT, but you haven't signed up for either one. With your grades, I think you want to go to college, right?"

Temperance again stifled her emotions. "Yes, I want to go to college but I can't sign up for the tests."

Mr. Hollister was surprised. "Why on Earth not?"

"I can't afford it. Mrs. Martin, my foster parent, says the money she gets for me is for my room and board, and she can't afford any extras."

"But the tests aren't that expensive. Surely she can afford 26 dollars for the SAT…."

Temperance shook her head. "No, she really can't. May I go back to class, please?"

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry I've kept you so long. Perhaps I can find a way to help you to pay for the SAT….I'll look into it for you."

A flicker of a smile lit up Temperance's face. "Thanks...but you don't need to go to the trouble. I'm going to age out of the system in a few months anyway...and who knows where I'll be then…." She turned and left the office.

Mr. Hollister frowned as he watched Temperance leave. It was sad to think that all that talent might be wasted because of lack of funds. He was going to do something about it….


	2. Chapter 2 Obstacles

Booth was indignant after hearing Brennan's story. "So your foster mom couldn't cough up the 26 dollars for a college entrance exam? What was wrong with those people?!"

Smiling, Brennan patted her husband's knee to calm him down. "It's okay, Booth. She would've had to do that for everybody. Mrs. Martin had lots of foster kids over the years, and it would've cost a lot of money if she had to pay for things like that for everyone."

"Well, something ought to be done about that! How else can kids better themselves?"

"Would you like to hear more of the story?" She smiled indulgently at her husband.

Booth nodded and winked at her. "Yeah. There better be a happy ending, though…" 

oooooooooo

"Mrs. Martin...I'm Matthew Hollister, Temperance's guidance counselor. I'm calling because….."

"Christ, what has that girl done now?" Mrs. Martin yelled through the phone. "I agreed to take her even though she's hard to deal with, and this is how she repays me?"

"Mrs. Martin? Mrs. Martin, please...yes, just a minute...Temperance isn't in trouble. I want to talk to you about her taking the SAT test."

There was a pause on the other end of the conversation. "What's the SAT? Is that for sex diseases? I swear that girl has the morals of an alley cat…"

"No, Mrs. Martin...it's a college entrance exam. After looking over Temperance's grades and school records, and talking to her, I believe she would do quite well in college…"

""Yeah, maybe...so do I gotta pay for this fancy test?"

"26 dollars...and maybe a few dollars for help in preparing for the test."

"Damn….I ain't made of money. Besides, even if she does great on that test, who's gonna help her pay for college? It sure ain't gonna be me. We barely get by on what the state gives us per kid."

"Really, Mrs. Martin, 26 dollars is reasonable. You can probably manage that..." Mr. Hollister was becoming frustrated.

"No…I can't. She's just gonna have to go get a job or go to beauty school or something like that after high school. She don't need to go to no college to get a job."

"Okay, but I think"...Mrs. Martin had hung up on him. "Thank you for your time.", Mr. Hollister said sarcastically to the phone in his hand. He slammed the receiver down angrily. He wanted Temperance to take the SAT and the ACT so she could go to college, but Mrs. Martin had reminded him of the other obstacles involved….like how she would be able to pay for books, tuition, and dorm fees. "One step at a time, right?" He shook his head, wondering if he'd bitten off more than he could chew, but he just couldn't let a smart kid like Temperance fall through the cracks because of things that were beyond her control.

Frustrated after talking to Mrs. Martin, Mr. Hollister decided to talk to the principal. Maybe Mr. Warchowsky could make Mrs. Martin understand how important these tests were for Temperance's future. Something needed to be done quickly, because the deadline to sign up was coming up in just a few weeks.

Mr. Hollister knocked on the office door. "Hey, Mike...got a minute?"

Mike Warchowsky was a big man stuffed into a small shirt. He had a reputation for being a no-nonsense, get things done kind of guy, but Mr. Hollister knew the former Marine drill sergeant was also a softie at heart..

Mr. Warchowsky looked up from his typewriter. "What's up? I'm trying to put together the agenda for the faculty meeting but I can take a short break."

"It's about a new student, Temperance Brennan. She's in foster care, and..."

"Oh, so is she in trouble or something? Those kids can have a lot of issues."

"No, nothing like that. She is, however, exceptionally gifted intellectually. She's taught herself Latin and Biochemistry."

"Very impressive. So what's the problem?" Mr. Warchowsky was impatient to get back to his agenda.

"She hasn't taken the SAT or the ACT yet. I wanted her to sign up for the next testing sessions but she can't because her foster mother doesn't want to pay for the tests. This girl is brilliant, Mike...like 'put our school on the map' brilliant. I've never seen anything like it. She could go to college and do great things, but she can't take the damn tests to get in because she can't afford the fees."

"Hmm. So what are you suggesting?" Mr. Warchowsky wasn't really sure he wanted to know...Mr. Hollister was prone to go off on wild goose chases….but he never gave up on a kid who needed help.

"Well, maybe you can call the foster mom to try to convince her, but I don't hold out much hope for that. Can the PTA pay the testing fees for Temperance, Mike?"

"I don't know...I've never heard of that. I suppose we could ask, but I doubt it. It's not like the PTA has a lot of money to hand out."

"Come on. She can't be the only kid this has happened to, right? There must be something we can do for this girl."

Mr. Warchowsky knew Mr. Hollister was not going to give up on this cause, so he might as well try to help. "Let me check with the PTA. If they can't foot the bill, maybe we can find the money somewhere else. You really think this kid's worth it, right? She's gonna pass?"

"Judging from what I've seen, I think so. I think she'll knock it out of the park. I don't think we'll ever regret it if we help her out."

"Okay. I gotta get back to work on this stupid agenda. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thanks, Mike."

oooooooooo

A week later, Mr. Hollister called his new project to his office again. "Hi, Temperance." He smiled, trying to put her at ease. "Please sit down. I have a couple of things I'd like to talk with you about. I won't keep you long...I know you don't like to miss class."

"Thank you." Temperance regarded him cautiously, trying to imagine what he could possibly want to discuss with her. In her experience a trip to the counselor's office usually meant something bad was going to happen…

"Your Algebra 2 teacher has told me that her class is too easy for you. Evidently you're just zipping through your classwork with no trouble at all. She'd like to move you to her PreCalculus class. It would be a minor schedule change...just flipping two classes. Would you like to do that?"

"Yes." Temperance was surprised. She didn't think her algebra teacher was aware of how easy the class had been for her.

"Also….the school has made arrangements to have your fees paid so that you can take the SAT or the ACT. Normally, students take one or another, so you may choose to take only one or you may take both."

"Which test would be best to get into Northwestern?"

Mr. Hollister looked at Temperance with surprise. "Northwestern? Well, either one. I think they prefer the SAT but you might want to take both tests so you can have more of a choice when it comes to deciding which university you want to attend."

"I would prefer Northwestern. I want to be an anthropologist." Temperance hesitated. "Where is the money coming from? I can get a job and pay it back. I don't want to owe anybody…"

"Don't worry about it. You just need to try to get the best score possible." Mr. Hollister decided it would be too awkward if she found out that he had split the costs with Mr. Warchowsky. "It was an anonymous gift. Somebody gave money to the PTA to help students in need."

Temperance was suspicious. "People don't just give away money without expecting something in return. What do they want?"

Mr. Hollister smiled. "What we want is for you to be successful. I know how intelligent you are, Temperance. I think you've been handed some hard circumstances in your life, and maybe this can help make things a bit better for you."

Before she could stop herself Temperance blurted out, "You don't know anything about my circumstances! I could be a serial arsonist, or a thief, or demon possessed. Why are you being nice to me?" She shrank back into her chair, embarrassed at her outburst.

Mr. Hollister smiled. "Because it's my job, Temperance, to help you reach your full potential. I think you can do great things with your life. Okay?"

"Okay." After she calmed down, she finally smiled back at Mr. Hollister. "I'm not really a serial arsonist, you know…"

"I know. Northwestern...I'm glad you've set high goals for yourself. A degree from that university can open lots of doors for you. When you're rich and famous, maybe you can help out other kids."

Temperance nodded. "I would like that. You'll let me know about when the SAT and ACT will be?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. May I go back to class?"

"Yes." He watched her as she turned to leave, wondering about her outburst, but still believing she really would be rich and famous one day.


	3. Chapter 3 Four

It was getting late….Brennan had told Booth part of the story about the person who'd helped her, but there was still quite a bit more to tell. She knew the next part would upset him terribly.

"Booth, let's get ready for bed. I'll finish the rest of the story some other time."

"Tomorrow night, okay?" He nudged her with his elbow. "Hey, don't you feel better talking about this?"

"Perhaps…" She had really wanted to avoid this issue, but it wasn't going to be easy. She also knew Booth wouldn't rest until he'd heard the whole story.

The next evening after the kids were asleep, Brennan took a deep breath and began to tell Booth the next part of the story.

oooooooooo

Early one morning in late November Mrs. McGrew, the counselor's secretary, knocked on Mr. Hollister's door. "You have a visitor. She seems uncomfortable...I think you should see her now."

"Okay, send her in." Mr. Hollister was surprised. "Good morning, Temperance. I'm surprised to see you here so early. School won't start for a while." He looked through the papers on his desk and smiled. "Did you receive your test scores in the mail?"

Temperance was nervous and fidgety, but she had decided to be brave. She had also decided that Mr. Hollister was trustworthy and he might be able to help her. She liked the way his eyes smiled. She sat down on the edge of a chair. "I don't know. Mrs. Martin handles the mail."

"Well, I'm glad you came to see me then. Your scores are exceptional. You received 2300 on the SAT, and 35 on the ACT. I'm sure you'll be accepted wherever you decide to go to college. We need to get busy with your applications. Most colleges have a deadline in January or February."

"I'm not here about my scores." Tears were welling up in her eyes. I wanted to tell you…..four."

"Four?" Mr. Hollister was confused. What did that mean? He didn't want to push too hard. Temperance was obviously upset.

"The number of foster homes I've been in. Four. I entered the system right after Christmas when I was 15. I'm 17 now. Mrs. Martin makes 4. She'll be my last foster home. I turn 18 at the end of January, so I'm aging out. Mrs. Martin says she doesn't believe in letting folks get by on charity, so I have to move out by February 1. I'm not sure where I'll go after that, but I don't think I'll be at school here. I wanted to thank you for helping me." Temperance rose to leave. "I'm going to class now. Thanks again."

"Temperance, wait. Maybe I can help you…" Mr. Hollister couldn't believe it. She might not even finish high school here? "Let me look into it, okay? Maybe we can work something out."

She sighed. Wasn't that what the caseworkers always said? Work something out? And what usually happened was a move in a hurry to a new placement, especially last time…

"You don't need to do that, Mr. Hollister. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"But what about Northwestern? Don't you want to go to college there?"

"Yes, but that's just a dream. Like Mrs. Martin says, it's not practical for someone in my situation. Thanks." And with that she was gone.

Mr. Hollister sat at his desk, stunned by what had just happened. What a waste of talent...and all because of her birthday coming up. "Well", he thought to himself, "I'm not going to let that happen." He pulled out Temperance's file and found her caseworker's phone number. "We'll just see about that."

oooooooooo

"Mrs. Singer, thank you for coming." Mr. Hollister ushered the woman into his office. "I want to talk to you about one of your cases...Temperance Brennan."

Mrs. Singer's puffy face face told the story. The way she avoiding making eye contact with Mr. Hollister indicated to him that something was desperately wrong. "I don't know if I can help you with that girl. Is she in trouble again?"

"No...she hasn't been in any trouble here. In fact, quite the opposite. Her grades are exceptional, and her SAT and ACT scores are outstanding." Mr. Hollister was curious. It seemed that Temperance causing trouble was a common theme. "Why would you think she'd been in trouble? Mrs. Martin, her current foster parent, mentioned it also, but I see no basis for that concern."

Mrs. Singer sighed heavily. "With our privacy rules, I'm not sure how much I can tell you. Let's just say that in the past she's had anger issues, which is normal because of what happened to her. Her parents disappeared under mysterious circumstances right before Christmas when she was 15. Her brother was 19 at the time and not able to care for her. He turned her over to state custody and left for California. Occasionally she was sharp tongued, defiant, and combative. However, she was extremely violent in her last foster home, which resulted in a temporary emergency placement with Mrs. Martin. It's considered temporary because she'll age out of the system shortly."

Mr. Hollister couldn't imagine that shy little girl being violent, but that wasn't the real issue right now. "My hope was that we could find another temporary placement for Temperance so she could finish high school here. She's doing well, and it would only be a few extra months."

"I'm afraid that's out of my hands, Mr. Hollister." Mrs. Singer shook her head and frowned. "The state has strict rules about placements due to age. Age 18 is when someone is considered to be a legal adult so they can no longer be served by the child welfare services.. Now, if there's nothing more…" Mrs. Singer got up to leave. Mr. Hollister motioned for her to stay.

"There is something more….I can't imagine Temperance being that violent...can you help me understand what happened?"

"There were some grave allegations…", Mrs. Singer looked like she wanted to throw up. "It seemed that there were some sexual improprieties between the foster father and Temperance. Her foster mother supposedly tried to correct the situation, and Temperance became violent, so she had to removed from the home."

"So...she was molested? Good Lord." Mr. Hollister was horrified. No wonder the girl had trust issues.

"Off the record...Yes, it seems so. There appear to be other incidences of abuse…they locked Temperance in the trunk of a car for breaking some dishes. The foster mother insisted that Temperance did it on purpose and so the punishment was just. They also accused her of stealing food and money, and apparently she was punished harshly in those instances as well.

"And nothing was done? She was left in that situation? That's terrible!"

"The abuse allegations were never substantiated."

"Wasn't there some sort of investigation into the home and the foster parents?"

"A teacher at the last school suspected some sort of abuse and reported it. However, the previous caseworker described Temperance as violent and unmanageable. She assumed the foster parents were doing their best to get along with a difficult child. They've been successful foster parents for many years, but with younger children. The person who handled Temperance's placement no longer works for child welfare. The case was passed to me."

"Mrs. Martin said something about taking Temperance on a temporary basis…."

Mrs. Singer hesitated. "I can only tell you that the situation was quite extreme, and we had to act very quickly. The girl's violent outburst may have been justified."

"My God…" Mr. Hollister was in shock, imaging the terrible circumstances that Temperance had lived through. Those circumstances made her grade point average even more impressive.

"The girl does have a temper, and can be aggressive if provoked. She will defend herself as she feels is necessary. She doesn't liked to be touched, and she usually isolates herself from other people." Mrs. Singer frowned and shook her head. It was evident that Mr. Hollister cared about the girl. "I'm glad you want to help her, but you'll do so at your own risk." Mrs. Singer moved toward the door.

"Thank you, Mrs. Singer. I'll take that under advisement." Mr. Hollister sat at his desk, frustrated beyond words. Poor Temperance. So many things had happened to her, and she'd had no control over any of them. He realized she must've focused on her schoolwork so she didn't have to think about the crap going on in her life outside of school. Schoolwork was one thing Temperance could control.

A plan was forming in Mr. Hollister's mind. He was determined to get Temperance a shot at going to Northwestern, and he wasn't about to let her give up her dream without a fight.


	4. Chapter 4 Truth and Strength

Booth sat quietly, thinking about everything Bones had told him. "Look, if you don't want to talk about this any more, that's fine. I didn't realize I'd be dredging up so many bad memories." He had been horrified and disgusted as Bones had recounted the terrible things she'd been through with one of her foster families. He found it hard to believe that anyone would actually treat her or anyone else that way.

Brennan brushed away a tear. "I'm okay, Booth." She shifted in her seat so she could look him in the eyes. "I needed to tell you this story because it's a part of me. It helped make me the strong person I am today. Two of my foster families were pleasant, and Mrs. Martin was adequate. It was only the Carsons who treated me badly."

"Mrs. Martin was 'adequate'? I don't think so, Bones. It seems to me that she didn't help you at all…"

"Mrs. Martin wasn't a bad person, and she was an experienced foster parent. However, she made some mistakes while I was with her. She believed everything the caseworker told her about me being violent without verifying any of the information or doing research into the cause of the problems." Brennan grimaced slightly. "She didn't want to hear my side of the story. I was placed with her in the middle of September, and she knew I'd be leaving at the end of January, so she didn't put any real effort into getting to know me during those few months. She knew I'd had a lot of problems in my previous placement and assumed I wouldn't be the college type so she didn't bother to check into whether or not the state would have paid for my college entrance exams. In reality, she could've paid for the tests and she would have been reimbursed by the state. She just didn't make an effort to find the truth."

As Booth listened, he realized that the situation with Mrs. Martin was part of the reason Bones had such a drive to look for the truth...why she never wanted to rely on the word of other people. She always had to find out the truth for herself. Her need for proof was what made her such an exceptional forensic anthropologist, and she was spurred on toward that truth by remembering how Mrs. Martin had treated her.

Brennan exhaled slowly. "It took me a long time to accept that what happened with the Carsons wasn't my fault. It was all Mr. Carson's doing. He was an evil man."

"Of course it wasn't your fault. How could you ever think that?" Booth held his wife close, as if he could absorb some of her pain. "Shhh...it's okay. You don't have to tell me any more about it if you don't want to, Bones."

Brennan sat for a minute or two enjoying the security of being wrapped in Booth's arms, knowing he would love her no matter what had happened in her life. Finally she spoke again.

"Mr. Carson would get in bed with me at night and fondle me. He said it was my fault because I was tempting him. He said I'd go to Hell because I was causing him to sin."

"Bones….you don't have to say any more. He was the sinner. It wasn't you."

"Yes, I do need to say more. I want to get it all out in the open, so there's no mystery about it anymore." She closed her eyes and continued. "One night Mrs. Carson came to my room because she heard me cry out. I was trying to push Mr. Carson off of me, but she thought…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Booth whispered, "She thought you were engaged in sex."

Brennan nodded and whispered, "Yes. I was glad to see her at first, but then she started screaming at me, and she tried to hit me with a broom handle. She chased me, and I ran out of the house….it was a chilly night, and I was standing on the sidewalk in only a tee shirt and underwear with no shoes. She had locked me out of the house. She said she was going to freeze the Devil out of me...She said I was demon possessed and had turned her husband against her…."

"Oh, Bones. I'm so sorry….", Booth whispered.

"I went to a neighbor's house and told them the Carsons had thrown me out of the house. She called the police and they came to the Carsons' house….I remember Mrs. Carson screaming bloody murder. The officers put me in the police car and took me to the emergency room for a rape exam. I never went back to the house. Someone from child welfare went there and bagged up all my stuff, and I was sent to stay with Mrs. Martin's house."

"And Mrs. Martin thought you had caused the problem…" Booth closed his eyes, imagining what Bones had felt being shuffled from place to place when it wasn't even her fault.

"When there is an emergency placement, a lot of times it's because of a serious conflict between the foster parents and the foster child. Mrs. Martin didn't know the whole story, but I'm not sure she would've believed it anyway." Brennan sighed. "Sometimes I look back at those days and I can't believe it happened that way, either, but it did."

"Did the police get involved later on? They investigated the allegations of abuse, right?"

"I don't know, Booth….but I'd say probably not. It was my word against that of the Carsons."

"Yeah, but the police have to check out all reports of child abuse or endangerment no matter who makes the complaint. Maybe I can find the old police report and make sure they checked it out."

"Booth…." Brennan knew where her husband's protective nature would take him. "Neither of the Carsons are alive any more. They died in a car accident a few years after I lived with them. I do know that they were never allowed to have foster children in their home again after I left, so maybe some good came from what happened to me."

Booth nodded and gave her a faint smile. His wife had read his mind again. She knew him so well. "Bones...did you ever tell Russ about any of this?"

"No. I was so angry at him when I was young that I often pretended he didn't even exist. I didn't realize until a few years ago that he was dealing with his own anger and hurt towards our parents. He was abandoned by them, too, and he was left with the responsibility of trying to take care of me and the house when he didn't have the emotional maturity to be able to do those things. I'm not going to tell him now because I think it would only make him feel like he was responsible for everything that happened to me. It would cause him a tremendous amount of unnecessary pain. We both need to put those years behind us."

"Okay...whatever you decide about that is fine with me." Booth got up to fill Brennan's wine glass. "So I guess you learned all your martial arts so you could protect yourself, right?" He came back to the sofa and sat down next to her. "I remember being really impressed when I first met you. No one was going to mess with you...that Salvadoran gang leader learned that the hard way." Booth smiled at the memory of that big man on the floor in front of the elevator.

"I decided that the only person I could really rely on was myself. I did trust Mr. Hollister. He was one of the few people when I was young that had no ulterior motive. He wanted to help me because he wanted me to be successful." Brennan chuckled. "He used to tell me I'd have to come back and help him out if I was ever rich and famous." Brennan reached up and gave Booth a kiss on the cheek. "Of course, now I have you, and I know you're trustworthy."

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I might have a bit of an ulterior motive...we'll discuss that later. Right now, though, I want to hear the rest of the story, if you want to tell me." He grinned. "So, what happened next?"

Brennan smiled in return. Booth was really a big kid at heart, and he loved it when she told him stories. "Well, Mr. Hollister was a very determined man. He was working on a plan…."


	5. Chapter 5 Persistence

Mr. Hollister had stewed over the problem of what to do about Temperance all through dinner that evening. He hardly ate a bite. Finally Mrs. Hollister had had enough.

"Okay, Matt...what's the problem? You've hardly said a word to me all evening. What's bothering you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Nancy. I'm just preoccupied with a problem from school."

"What kind of problem?" Nancy was concerned. Matt normally didn't let his work at school bother him at home.

"Well", he sighed, "There's this student at school...Temperance. She came in the middle of September. She's absolutely brilliant...I've never seen a kid so bright. The problem is that she's in foster care right now, and she'll age out of state custody at the end of January. She has nowhere to go after that. I mean, she could be really something, you know? Like 'make a difference in someone's life' something or 'make the world a better place' something. Her test scores and grade point average are remarkable, especially considering all that's happened to her in the past few years. I hate to think she won't have a chance to use her intellectual gifts because she's going to be homeless in February."

Nancy nodded. That was her Matt...out to save the world one kid at a time. "I wish we could take her in but we don't really have room."

"I know, and I don't think It wouldn't be proper, either...I think it would look strange to other people at school. But I was thinking about finding some other options for this girl….like maybe Mrs. Grady."

"Mrs. Grady from church?" Mrs. Hollister looked at her husband quizzically.

"Yeah...she lives by herself in that big, old house. I was thinking of asking her if maybe she'd like a companion for a few months. Since she's elderly with no relatives close by maybe both she and Temperance would benefit from the arrangement."

"You know what, Matt...that's not a bad idea. Maybe your student could be a sort of companion for her."

"I'll call tomorrow and see if she's willing to have a guest for a few months. Maybe the church can chip in for some extra grocery money to help her if she could let Temperance stay there. I don't think it would be expensive." Mr. Hollister grinned sheepishly at his wife. "There's something else...I need a favor from you."

Mrs. Hollister chuckled. "A favor? Really? Isn't this more like a demand?" She knew her husband was like a dog chewing a bone once he got an idea in his head.

Mr. Hollister nodded and smiled. "Okay, maybe a demand. Does your cousin Howard still know one of the deans at Northwestern?"

"I don't know...I guess I can call him and ask him. Why?"

"Temperance's grades and test scores are remarkable, but she doesn't have a lot extra-curricular activities or things like that to put on her application since she's been in an unsupportive foster care situation for the last year. I'm worried she'll be rejected because of that, but I know she'll be an exceptional student. I want to talk to the dean to see if there's something else we can do to help her application. She's also going to need some financial aid...a waiver for her application fee, scholarships and money for books and housing…things like that."

"I'll see what I can find out. You're really concerned about this one, aren't you?" Mrs. Hollister patted her husband's hand.

"Yeah...Temperance has so much potential, and she deserves a chance to use it. She actually could change the world."

oooooooooo

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Hollister?" Temperance stood shyly at the door.

"Yes, Temperance. Please come in and sit down. I want to talk to you about some things."

"Okay." She sat quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. "Am I in trouble?"

"Of course not." He pulled a file folder out of his desk drawer. "I have an application here for Northwestern. I want you to fill it out as best you can. Don't worry if you don't have a lot of information about extracurricular activities or clubs and honors. We're going to concentrate on your grades, AP classes, and test scores. When you write your entrance essay, you can mention some information about foster care if you want, but it's not necessary." He smiled. "Just do the best you can. Oh, by the way, the application fee will be waived."

"Mr. Hollister...I can't…"

"Yes, you can. I have applications for University of Illinois, Indiana, and Notre Dame, also, as well as several other universities."

Temperance sighed. Mr. Hollister just didn't understand…"I don't have a permanent address, and there's no way I can afford to go to school at any of those places, anyway. I mean, I would love to go to Northwestern, but it's just not a realistic idea. It's not practical."

"Oh, about the permanent address thing...there's an elderly lady at my church who lives in a big house all by herself. The whole upstairs is vacant. She is lonely, and would like it very much if you would move into one of the upstairs bedrooms in February."

"I don't know what you mean…"

"She doesn't need any help. She just wants to hear someone else in the house. You would be able to come and go as you please, and you could continue to attend school here. Her name is Mrs. Grady. Would you consider it?"

"Yes….I think I would consider it." Temperance seemed confused. "So I wouldn't have to do anything? Just live there?"

"I'm sure if you wanted to help Mrs. Grady she'd appreciate it, but it's not a condition of you living there."

"I'd like to help her. I don't want to owe anybody."

Mr. Hollister grinned. "Great. I'm glad to hear that. Now let's talk about your financial aid options….There are grants, loans, and scholarships, and we can request to have some fees waived…"

Temperance shook her head. "I don't know, Mr. Hollister. College costs so much money. I don't think it's rational to consider it.. I don't think I want to be disappointed like that…"

Mr. Hollister nodded. "I understand how you feel, Temperance. However, it doesn't cost anything to dream. The state might be able give you some assistance for college even if you're out of the foster care system. You can apply for all sorts of grants and loans, and I want you to apply for every scholarship we can think of. I'm fairly sure one of my contacts at Northwestern can help us make arrangements for the university to provide some financial aid. He was very impressed with your academic accomplishments. He says you're exactly the kind of student they're looking for."

Temperance blinked back tears. "Mr. Hollister….I don't know what to say...or how to thank you for your help."

"If you want to say thank you, fill out all these forms so we can get them sent in. And when you're rich and famous, you can come see me and let me know how successful you are. That'll be enough for me. Now, let's take a look at this application…."

oooooooooo

Booth nodded. "So Mr. Hollister was your Fairy Grandfather."

"What?" Brennan did a double take. "I don't understand…."

"Mr. Hollister was who you meant when you said your grandfather got you out of foster care, right? So it's like you were Cinderella and he was the one who helped you."

Brennan smiled as she realized what Booth meant. "Oh...Yes. He helped me with so many things...I got into Northwestern with his help, he assisted me in obtaining financial aid, and I got to stay with Mrs. Grady until I graduated from high school." Brennan wiped away a tear. "Mrs. Grady helped pay for some of my high school graduation expenses, like my cap and gown and a frame for my diploma. She died shortly after I left for college. I kept in touch with Mr. Hollister for several years until he retired. And now he's gone…"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bones. It sounds like he was a great guy. Do you want to go to his funeral?"

"I don't think so." She snuggled against her husband. "What I want to do instead is to develop some sort of foundation or funding source so students who need help with expenses like test fees and college application fees can apply to get some financial aid."

"That's a great idea. That'll benefit a lot of people."

"I was also reading about a project called Youth Villages by an organization called LifeSet. They help teenagers who are aging out with housing and transitioning to adulthood. It sounds like an exceptional program, so I'm going to make a sizable donation in Mr. Hollister's name."

Booth pulled his wife closer. "It's too bad I never got to met Mr. Hollister at that high school reunion we went to when we were undercover."

"I know...I guess he skipped it for some reason. He was elderly by then. Maybe he was unable to travel. I was quite disappointed. I wanted to show him how much I've changed. I'm not that shy little girl anymore."

Booth gave Brennan a kiss. "I think Mr. Hollister would've been very happy, Bones. You did change...and you also changed the world."

 **Author's Note: Many school counselors do the same thing for kids every day, and they never get noticed, so I want to say thank you to them.**


End file.
